US, Angola set to meet

2004-04-19 15:05

Luanda - President Jose Eduardo dos Santos is to meet with US President George W Bush next month to discuss oil and plans to hold Angola's first elections since the end of the civil war two years ago, a report said on Monday.

Dos Santos will make an official visit to the United States beginning May 12, foreign ministry spokesperson Joao Pedro confirmed, but he added that details of the trip were still under discussion.

The weekly Semanario Angolense reported that the Angolan president and Bush "will be able to discuss issues like security and stability in the region and the democratisation of Angola."

"A discussion on the dates of the next general elections, presidential and legislative, is sure to take place," said the report, adding that Dos Santos would lay out a roadmap to restoring democratic rule.

The former rebel National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita) and the government in April 2002 ended a civil war which had raged almost continuously since before oil-rich Angola's independence from Portugal in 1975.

Angola's ruling People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) recently set 14 preconditions for the upcoming elections, including a law relating to a census of voters.

But Unita, now the main opposition group, has accused Luanda of dragging its feet on the proposed elections, the dates of which have not been announced.

The Bush administration and the US Congress are keen to ensure that Angola gives all parties equal opportunity in the elections, including granting access to the media, the report said.

The leaders are also to discuss energy, with Angola set to increase its output from 700 000 million barrels to one million barrels per day and keen to supply the United States, the weekly said.

En route to the United States, Dos Santos will make a stop in the Atlantic Ocean archipelago of Cape Verde for talks with leaders there, added Pedro.

- AFP